I just got back from Texas. I was speaking at the national conference for the Association for Accounting Marketing. (Great conference, by the way.) Rachel and I spoke about social media and how that is changing the way businesses communicate and handle business development and PR.

Of the many things I learned last week, two things stood out about the social media conversation:

• Firms are all over the map in terms of what they know about social media and how they are using it. Some are just starting out and some are embracing it completely. One thing is common: they are very interested in learning more.
• Firm leaders are not sold on the value of research, uses and ROI of social media. Marketing departments can’t stand alone to get buy-in.

Something brought up consistently among marketing professionals was an effort to get younger staff involved with social media. I’m not talking about giving you more time on your Facebook page (or maybe I am!) You should actually think about how Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs and other tools can be used to drive more people to the firm website.

In the next few months, I challenge you to talk to your marketing department and get involved in the effort to leverage social media. Whether you take on a research project about great referral industry blogs or help a partner set up a well-branded LinkedIn or Facebook profile, you can help shape how your company does business in the future.

It’s a leadership opportunity that not enough young people are taking advantage of right now. So step up and power up!

Question: How are you helping your firm use social media in ways that support business goals?